I Didn’t Just Build a Project, I Built My Story

Hi everyone! I’m Rathna Sujith Reddy, a final year Computer Science student at IIEST Shibpur. I’ve received an offer from Accenture for the role of Advanced Technology Engineer.

From Learning to Interview Practice

I started my DSA preparation with Striver’s A2Z DSA Sheet, which helped me build my fundamentals topic by topic. As placements got closer, I switched to the SDE Sheet for more focused interview preparation.

The structured progression and wide range of problems helped me cover most of the important patterns I needed for placement preparation.

Learning by Building

I kept my preparation simple and divided it into three major parts:

• DSA through structured practice and regular revision

• Projects based on ideas and problems that I genuinely wanted to solve

• Core CS fundamentals alongside my technical preparation

For my project, I started with a real pain point faced by students preparing for placements. Instead of choosing a project just for the sake of having one, I built a solution around that problem and learned the required technologies while developing it.

I also integrated AI into the project and focused on proper documentation and deployment so that I could confidently explain the complete project during interviews.

Preparing for the New Interview Landscape

As I got closer to placements, I became more focused on core CS subjects and understanding my own project in depth.

I also realised how important AI has become in the current hiring landscape. Having some understanding of AI and knowing how to integrate it meaningfully into projects can add another dimension to your preparation.

For interviews, I made sure I could explain my project beyond just the features. I prepared the documentation and built a clear story around why I created it, what problem it solved, how I built it, and the decisions I made along the way.

When Preparation Meets Setbacks

I started taking my preparation seriously in my third year, and the journey wasn’t always smooth.

There were interviews that didn’t work out, but I learned not to treat every rejection as a final result. Each one helped me understand where I needed to improve.

The biggest thing that helped me was staying consistent with DSA and gradually becoming clearer with my CS fundamentals and projects.

From Third Year to the Offer

My placement journey really started taking shape in my third year. What began with DSA preparation gradually expanded into projects, CS fundamentals, AI integration, documentation, and interview preparation.

Getting the opportunity at Accenture feels like the result of putting all these pieces together.

Stay consistent, keep learning, and don’t let one rejection define your preparation.

All the best!